It’s not mini-golf, it’s not putt-putt, it’s not even high school.

Three ISU men’s golfers will be playing in college for the first time as they head this weekend to South Bend, Ind., to play in the Notre Dame Invitational.

The tournament will consist of 15 of the top teams in the country, which are the top teams in the NCAA central region. Many are ranked in the top 50 in the country, including Michigan State, Kent State, Arkansas, Texas Tech and Missouri.

The tournament is a three-day event that will take place on two different courses. The first day will be played on the Lost Dunes course, and the next two days will be played on Notre Dame’s college course.

The big storyline for the Cyclones heading into the meet will be the emergence of young players in the top five.

The starting lineup for the season opener is junior Drew Dalziel, sophomore Paul Huddle, redshirt freshman Patrick Hall and freshmen Chris Baker and Joe Cermak.

For Baker, Cermak and Hall, this weekend will mark the start of their collegiate careers.

“I’m anxious about going into this tournament,” Cermak said. “I’m not nervous because I’ve played with some of the best amateurs in the world and in a few pro tournaments, and I know I can play with anyone in college golf.”

The transition from high school to college golf is a huge step in a player’s career. ISU coach Jay Horton said he knows the talent his young players have and said it’s just a matter of stepping up a little sooner.

“I don’t know what to expect this weekend,” Horton said.

Cermak credits the older players on the team for helping him and the other young guys adjust to the college game physically and mentally.

“They’ve been very supportive and given me advice on how to approach the game mentally and encouraged me to play my own game and play well at the tournament this weekend,” Cermak said.

The courses the Cyclones see should be challenging for an early season event. Notre Dame’s course will be the site of the Central Region Championship in the spring. It’s a course with fairly generous fairways with long rough.

The course the team will play the first day, the Lost Dunes course, is sort of a mystery. Cermak is from the Chicago area and said he is familiar with the courses.

“I’ve driven by Lost Dunes many times, and it is out of this world,” Cermak said.

This tournament will be an icebreaker for the freshmen on the team, but the Cyclones are still going with winning in mind.

“A win this weekend would be great,” Huddle said.